(TSX / STATS) -- SAN FRANCISCO -- When Asdrubal Cabrera dropped a bombshell on the ballclub a couple of hours before game time, the New York Mets appeared on the verge of an implosion Friday night.
Instead, they exploded, with their bats making the loudest statement of the night.
Yoenis Cespedes highlighted a six-run second inning with a two-run homer, helping the Mets brush aside a Cabrera trade demand and a four-game losing streak with an 11-4 victory over the staggering San Francisco Giants.
"Very impressed," Mets manager Terry Collins said after his team's 20-hit attack. "I'm not worried about the attitude of my club. Today was an unfortunate situation. We'll get through it."
Cespedes, Cabrera, Wilmer Flores, Michael Conforto and Lucas Duda had three hits apiece for the Mets, whose hit total equaled the club's season high, set twice previously.
Cabrera's big offensive game, which included two runs scored, came shortly after he made his intentions known to reporters that he was planning to request a trade.
The second-year Met was unhappy to find out he'd be starting the game at second base in his return from the disabled list, having lost his shortstop spot to Jose Reyes.
"I just want to talk about the game," Cabrera said afterward.
He had plenty to talk about, including two flares to right field that dropped for hits in his first two at-bats off the DL.
"I got a couple to fall in right field. Then I hit one hard to shortstop and he made the play. This game is crazy," he said.
"We have a good hitting team. We can do this."
Cabrera fielded four grounders flawlessly and teamed with Reyes on a double play, none of which surprised Collins.
"I know he can play second base," the manager said. "I understand he's not happy playing there. But he's a professional. There were no lingering effects (of the pregame demands)."
Duda also homered for the Mets, who were coming off a four-game sweep against the Los Angeles Dodgers and began the night a season-worst 10 games below .500.
The two homers gave the Mets 22 in their last 12 games.
The Mets teed off on Giants left-hander Ty Blach (4-5), who was facing New York for the first time.
"Tonight he was off," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "He couldn't get out of that inning."
Winning pitcher Seth Lugo helped get the big second inning rolling with an RBI double that plated Duda with the run that broke a 1-1 tie.
Cespedes' homer, his ninth of the season, made it 5-1 four batters later. It was his fifth home run in seven games against the Giants since the start of last season.
Flores, Conforto and Travis d'Arnaud followed with successive doubles, completing the six-run uprising.
Duda's homer, his 13th, came against the Giants fourth pitcher, left-hander Josh Osich, in the seventh inning and completed New York's scoring.
Cespedes, who also doubled in a three-run sixth inning, finished with three RBIs, and Flores and Conforto had two apiece for the Mets, who had lost eight of their previous 10 games.
"That three-spot kind of knocked us out of it," Bochy said of the Mets' tack-on that increased their lead to 10-1. "When you get down that much in this part, it's tough sledding."
Lugo (2-1) won for the second time in three starts, allowing four runs and seven hits in 5 2/3 innings. He walked three and struck out two.
Gorkys Hernandez had a two-run single in a three-run sixth inning for the Giants, who lost for the 10th time in their last 11 games.
Denard Span, Joe Panik and Austin Slater had two hits apiece for the Giants, who were coming off a 1-7 trip on which their pitchers posted a 7.94 ERA.
Blach left for a pinch hitter after having surrendered seven runs and 11 hits in three laborious innings during which he threw 80 pitches. He walked one and did not record a strikeout.
The career-high 11 hits allowed increased Blach's total in June to a major league-leading 44. Teammate Matt Cain had been tied for the lead at the start of the day with 36.
NOTES: The Mets' 20 hits were their most ever at AT&T Park. The 11 runs tied their previous high in the stadium's 18-year history. ... The Mets also had 20 hits at Philadelphia on April 11 and at Atlanta on May 3. ... The Mets' top six hitting performances this season have all come on the road. ... Mets 2B Asdrubal Cabrera (sprained left thumb) had missed the club's previous 10 games. The Mets demoted 2B Gavin Cecchini to Triple-A Las Vegas to create a roster spot for Cabrera. ... The second game of the series, a nationally televised affair on FOX, features a pitching rematch from Game 2 of the 2015 World Series when Kansas City Royals RHP Johnny Cueto outdueled Mets RHP Jacob deGrom in a 7-1 win. Cueto pitches now for the Giants. ... Giants LHP Madison Bumgarner (separated left shoulder) has been scheduled for a second simulated game in Arizona on Sunday. He could begin an injury-rehab stint in the minor leagues next week.
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Saturday, June 24, 2017
Rays rout Orioles to move four games over .500
(TSX / STATS) -- ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The Tampa Bay Rays moved four games above .500 for the first time in nearly two years, surging past the Baltimore Orioles with an easy 15-5 win on Friday night at Tropicana Field.
The Rays (40-36) jumped out to a 9-2 lead in the first three innings and reset their season high for scoring, getting home runs from Derek Norris, Shane Peterson and Logan Morrison.
The slumping Orioles (35-38) matched a dubious major league record by allowing at least five runs in 20 straight games -- the first team to do so since the 1924 Philadelphia Phillies.
"We feel good about where we are at," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "It was nice to see us cash in and capitalize on those runs and not leave the guys on base."
Tampa Bay roughed up starter Ubaldo Jimenez (2-3), who didn't survive the third inning. Rays starter Chris Archer (6-4) threw six innings, not needing his best stuff to win his second straight start.
The Rays got four RBIs each from Evan Longoria and Peterson, who was called up before the game and had a two-run home run.
"Anytime we get a win and you have a chance to help the team, it's awesome, especially at the big-league level," said Peterson, whose four RBIs were a career high. "You go out there and try to do too much, next thing you know, you look up and you're not there anymore. For me, it's just do what I can do, do the best I can do and whatever happens, happens."
Tampa Bay hasn't been four games over .500 at any point since July 1, 2015, but has now won three of four games on their current homestand. Morrison's home run was his 22nd, extending his team lead as he makes a case for the All-Star Game.
"We're going to go as far we let ourselves go," Morrison said.
The Rays set their season high with 14 runs by the fifth inning, with unlikely stars leading the way. Norris, potentially being designated for assignment this weekend, had three hits, including a two-run home run.
Jimenez allowed nine runs on seven hits before his early exit. He walked the first two batters on 10 pitches, advanced them with a wild pitch and saw both score on a two-run single by Longoria. Morrison followed with an RBI triple and scored on an infield groundout for a 4-0 lead.
"It's tough. Sucks the air out of you a little bit," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said of the rough start. "Our guys got back in it at 4-2, just couldn't get any shutdown innings. You walk seven or eight guys and hit somebody. I think we had the same number of hits they had (11 each)."
Archer gave up two runs on three hits in the second, but Longoria's sacrifice fly extended the lead to 5-2 in the second. Peterson hit a two-run home run in the third, and then Norris did the same to chase Jimenez.
"Command," Showalter said. "Never really had it. We're trying to squeeze every out we can out of him, to try to take some load off the bullpen. We couldn't get him through any type of length of an outing. You come out and walk the first two guys, it doesn't bode well."
Jonathan Schoop's two-run double in the fourth cut Tampa Bay's lead to 9-4, but the Rays got five more runs in the fifth off reliever Miguel Castro. Castro came in with the bases loaded and all three runs scored, first on a bases-loaded walk to Longoria, then back-to-back infield errors.
Peterson's sacrifice fly made it 14-4.
NOTES: The Orioles got RHP Darren O'Day back from the 10-day disabled list, and he pitched a scoreless eighth inning. RHP Gabriel Ynoa was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk to make room. ... The Rays placed OF Colby Rasmus on the 10-day disabled list, retroactive to June 19, with left hip tendinitis. Orioles manager Buck Showalter was back in the dugout after missing Wednesday's game for the birth of his first grandchild. Bench coach John Russell had stepped in Wednesday.
The Rays (40-36) jumped out to a 9-2 lead in the first three innings and reset their season high for scoring, getting home runs from Derek Norris, Shane Peterson and Logan Morrison.
The slumping Orioles (35-38) matched a dubious major league record by allowing at least five runs in 20 straight games -- the first team to do so since the 1924 Philadelphia Phillies.
"We feel good about where we are at," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "It was nice to see us cash in and capitalize on those runs and not leave the guys on base."
Tampa Bay roughed up starter Ubaldo Jimenez (2-3), who didn't survive the third inning. Rays starter Chris Archer (6-4) threw six innings, not needing his best stuff to win his second straight start.
The Rays got four RBIs each from Evan Longoria and Peterson, who was called up before the game and had a two-run home run.
"Anytime we get a win and you have a chance to help the team, it's awesome, especially at the big-league level," said Peterson, whose four RBIs were a career high. "You go out there and try to do too much, next thing you know, you look up and you're not there anymore. For me, it's just do what I can do, do the best I can do and whatever happens, happens."
Tampa Bay hasn't been four games over .500 at any point since July 1, 2015, but has now won three of four games on their current homestand. Morrison's home run was his 22nd, extending his team lead as he makes a case for the All-Star Game.
"We're going to go as far we let ourselves go," Morrison said.
The Rays set their season high with 14 runs by the fifth inning, with unlikely stars leading the way. Norris, potentially being designated for assignment this weekend, had three hits, including a two-run home run.
Jimenez allowed nine runs on seven hits before his early exit. He walked the first two batters on 10 pitches, advanced them with a wild pitch and saw both score on a two-run single by Longoria. Morrison followed with an RBI triple and scored on an infield groundout for a 4-0 lead.
"It's tough. Sucks the air out of you a little bit," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said of the rough start. "Our guys got back in it at 4-2, just couldn't get any shutdown innings. You walk seven or eight guys and hit somebody. I think we had the same number of hits they had (11 each)."
Archer gave up two runs on three hits in the second, but Longoria's sacrifice fly extended the lead to 5-2 in the second. Peterson hit a two-run home run in the third, and then Norris did the same to chase Jimenez.
"Command," Showalter said. "Never really had it. We're trying to squeeze every out we can out of him, to try to take some load off the bullpen. We couldn't get him through any type of length of an outing. You come out and walk the first two guys, it doesn't bode well."
Jonathan Schoop's two-run double in the fourth cut Tampa Bay's lead to 9-4, but the Rays got five more runs in the fifth off reliever Miguel Castro. Castro came in with the bases loaded and all three runs scored, first on a bases-loaded walk to Longoria, then back-to-back infield errors.
Peterson's sacrifice fly made it 14-4.
NOTES: The Orioles got RHP Darren O'Day back from the 10-day disabled list, and he pitched a scoreless eighth inning. RHP Gabriel Ynoa was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk to make room. ... The Rays placed OF Colby Rasmus on the 10-day disabled list, retroactive to June 19, with left hip tendinitis. Orioles manager Buck Showalter was back in the dugout after missing Wednesday's game for the birth of his first grandchild. Bench coach John Russell had stepped in Wednesday.
Mejia shaky but claims win for Twins over Indians
(TSX / STATS) -- CLEVELAND -- It wasn't the prettiest five innings of work, but Minnesota Twins manager Paul Molitor will take it.
Ten of the first 19 batters that Twins starter Adalberto Mejia faced reached base, but none of them scored.
"There were some stressful innings, but he got through them somehow," Molitor said.
Jorge Polanco homered and Brian Dozier had three hits and two RBIs in support of Mejia as the Twins topped the Cleveland Indians 5-0 on Friday night at Progressive Field.
Mejia (2-3) threw 104 pitches in five scoreless innings, allowing two hits with four strikeouts and five walks.
Four of the five walks came in the first two innings, but Mejia managed to navigate his way through without giving up any runs.
"His stuff was good, but sometimes he tries to get cute with his stuff," Molitor said. "He had a lot of 3-2 counts, but he got big outs and five zeroes."
Cleveland starter Trevor Bauer (6-6) pitched 6 2/3 innings, giving up five runs (four earned) and eight hits with four strikeouts and one walk.
Mejia and relievers Tyler Duffey, Taylor Rogers and Trevor Hildenberger combined on a four-hitter.
It was Mejia's second consecutive start against Cleveland. In his last start against the Indians on June 17 in Minnesota, Mejia was the losing pitcher in a 6-2 Cleveland win. In that game, Mejia pitched 4 2/3 innings, giving up two runs.
"This time I tried to prepare and had a better game plan," Mejia said.
Leading 4-0, the Twins added an insurance run in the seventh inning. With two outs and nobody on, Byron Buxton reached on a bunt single and went to second when Bauer threw wildly to first on the play. Dozier followed with a single to right field, giving Minnesota a 5-0 lead and knocking Bauer out of the game.
It was Bauer's fourth start against Minnesota this year. In his first three, he was 3-0 with a 3.26 ERA.
Bauer retired the side in order in the first inning, two on strikeouts. But the Twins sent eight men to the plate in the second inning, and half of them scored.
Max Kepler led off the inning by bouncing a double off the right field wall. Kepler went to third on a flyout to deep right by Eduardo Escobar. Eddie Rosario followed with a single to right field, scoring Kepler with the first run of the game. Polanco worked the count to 3-2, then pounded a pitch over the right field wall for his third home run, pushing the lead to 3-0.
"Jorge fouled off some tough fastballs, then took advantage of a fastball Bauer left over the plate," Molitor said of the home run.
Jason Castro drew a walk and Buxton blasted a line drive that was caught in left field by Daniel Robertson for the second out. But Dozier doubled over the head of center fielder Austin Jackson, scoring Castro to make it 4-0.
"He threw too many pitches that were catching too much of the plate. Most of them were fastballs," Indians manager Terry Francona said of Bauer.
In the fourth inning, the Indians loaded the bases with one out. Erik Gonzalez struck out with the bases loaded for the second time in three innings, and Francisco Lindor lined out to end the inning without a run being scored.
"It seemed like we had baserunners in every inning the first five innings and good chances. We weren't able to do anything with it," said Francona, whose team was 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position.
NOTES: The Indians reinstated RHP Cody Allen from the paternity list and optioned RHP Adam Plutko to Triple-A Columbus. ... Indians 3B Jose Ramirez, who had started 70 of the Indians' first 71 games, was given a day off. Rookie INF Erik Gonzalez started in place of Ramirez, who pinch hit in the ninth inning and grounded out to end the game.. ... Twins 3B Miguel Sano did not play because of a sinus infection. ... The Twins selected the contracts of RHP Dillon Gee and RHP Trevor Hildenberger from Triple-A Rochester. ... The Twins also designated for assignment RHP Alex Wimmers and LHP Mason Melotakis.
Ten of the first 19 batters that Twins starter Adalberto Mejia faced reached base, but none of them scored.
"There were some stressful innings, but he got through them somehow," Molitor said.
Jorge Polanco homered and Brian Dozier had three hits and two RBIs in support of Mejia as the Twins topped the Cleveland Indians 5-0 on Friday night at Progressive Field.
Mejia (2-3) threw 104 pitches in five scoreless innings, allowing two hits with four strikeouts and five walks.
Four of the five walks came in the first two innings, but Mejia managed to navigate his way through without giving up any runs.
"His stuff was good, but sometimes he tries to get cute with his stuff," Molitor said. "He had a lot of 3-2 counts, but he got big outs and five zeroes."
Cleveland starter Trevor Bauer (6-6) pitched 6 2/3 innings, giving up five runs (four earned) and eight hits with four strikeouts and one walk.
Mejia and relievers Tyler Duffey, Taylor Rogers and Trevor Hildenberger combined on a four-hitter.
It was Mejia's second consecutive start against Cleveland. In his last start against the Indians on June 17 in Minnesota, Mejia was the losing pitcher in a 6-2 Cleveland win. In that game, Mejia pitched 4 2/3 innings, giving up two runs.
"This time I tried to prepare and had a better game plan," Mejia said.
Leading 4-0, the Twins added an insurance run in the seventh inning. With two outs and nobody on, Byron Buxton reached on a bunt single and went to second when Bauer threw wildly to first on the play. Dozier followed with a single to right field, giving Minnesota a 5-0 lead and knocking Bauer out of the game.
It was Bauer's fourth start against Minnesota this year. In his first three, he was 3-0 with a 3.26 ERA.
Bauer retired the side in order in the first inning, two on strikeouts. But the Twins sent eight men to the plate in the second inning, and half of them scored.
Max Kepler led off the inning by bouncing a double off the right field wall. Kepler went to third on a flyout to deep right by Eduardo Escobar. Eddie Rosario followed with a single to right field, scoring Kepler with the first run of the game. Polanco worked the count to 3-2, then pounded a pitch over the right field wall for his third home run, pushing the lead to 3-0.
"Jorge fouled off some tough fastballs, then took advantage of a fastball Bauer left over the plate," Molitor said of the home run.
Jason Castro drew a walk and Buxton blasted a line drive that was caught in left field by Daniel Robertson for the second out. But Dozier doubled over the head of center fielder Austin Jackson, scoring Castro to make it 4-0.
"He threw too many pitches that were catching too much of the plate. Most of them were fastballs," Indians manager Terry Francona said of Bauer.
In the fourth inning, the Indians loaded the bases with one out. Erik Gonzalez struck out with the bases loaded for the second time in three innings, and Francisco Lindor lined out to end the inning without a run being scored.
"It seemed like we had baserunners in every inning the first five innings and good chances. We weren't able to do anything with it," said Francona, whose team was 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position.
NOTES: The Indians reinstated RHP Cody Allen from the paternity list and optioned RHP Adam Plutko to Triple-A Columbus. ... Indians 3B Jose Ramirez, who had started 70 of the Indians' first 71 games, was given a day off. Rookie INF Erik Gonzalez started in place of Ramirez, who pinch hit in the ninth inning and grounded out to end the game.. ... Twins 3B Miguel Sano did not play because of a sinus infection. ... The Twins selected the contracts of RHP Dillon Gee and RHP Trevor Hildenberger from Triple-A Rochester. ... The Twins also designated for assignment RHP Alex Wimmers and LHP Mason Melotakis.
Red Sox beat Angels after retiring Ortiz's No. 34
(TSX / STATS) -- BOSTON -- Pre-game at Fenway Park Friday night belonged to David Ortiz, whose No. 34 was retired in an emotional ceremony.
But once the game began, the night belonged to three of Big Papi's former teammates as Rick Porcello, Sandy Leon and Hanley Ramirez led the Boston Red Sox to a 9-4 victory over the Los Angeles Angels in the opener of a three-game series.
"It was, to me, vintage Rick Porcello," Boston manager John Farrell said after his reigning Cy Young Award winner went 6 1/3 innings for his first win his last six starts -- thus avoiding becoming the first 10-game loser in the majors. "The sink had returned to his two-seamer and it's a tribute to the work that he continues to do."
In other words, he kept the ball down, which allowed him to give up a run on five hits until one out in the seventh. Then, as his pitches rose, three straight extra base hits ended his night.
Leon (3-for-4) drove in a career-high four runs for the fourth time in his career, with a two-run homer and two-run double and Ramirez hit a two-run homer -- the 250th home run of his career.
"We got a good team," Leon said. "I think we were going to just get a win for David today. He deserved that."
Despite his long winless streak, Porcello has notched nine straight outings of at least six innings. He struck out eight and has 61 strikeouts and 10 walks in 68 2/3 innings over his last 11 starts.
"I felt good," Porcello said. "Obviously I would have liked to have finished the ballgame off better than I did, but I felt good from the get-go."
The Red Sox (40-32) scored three runs on one hit off Alex Meyer (3-4) in the first inning, Meyer wild-pitched home two of the runs after Xander Bogaerts' RBI double -- in a 38-pitch first inning.
"It's unacceptable," said Meyer, who had thrown six scoreless frames in his previous start. "You can't go out there and put two guys on before basically the game starts. (I) just put them on first and second (with walks).
"It's frustrating and there's not much more to say than that. The first inning was just not acceptable."
Ramirez hit his 10th homer of the season in the fourth, while Leon connected in the sixth and then doubled home the pair in the eighth.
Martin Maldonado, Cliff Pennington and Kole Calhoun had RBI doubles for the Angels (38-39, 12-12 without the injured Mike Trout) in the seventh.
Eduardo Paredes made his major league debut and Huston Street, activated Thursday, pitched for the first time this season.
With Red Sox greats Carl Yastrzemski, Pedro Martinez, Jim Rice and Wade Boggs among those on hand, Ortiz received his usual ovation from the Papi-loving crowd pre-game.
"Walking out there and seeing -- there wasn't an empty seat," he said later. "It made me feel like one of those important games that we have where the fans want to be there from the very beginning and show some love and support. It was pretty amazing."
Said Angels manager Mike Scioscia: "I know everyone in our organization has the utmost respect for David and what he did. A lot of his successes, unfortunately, in playoffs were at our expense, but I know everyone respects his career, respects him as a person. That was a terrific honor they did for him tonight and it was fun to watch."
"It was a special night," said Dustin Pedroia, who represented the 2017 team with pre-game words for Ortiz. "Obviously he means a lot to us and the city ... he played with a lot of guys and he affected them in a major way."
Pedroia was the final speaker before Ortiz, noting Ortiz was "family." Ortiz, dabbing tears, then said: "The little guy made me cry."
NOTES: Veteran RHP Doug Fister, who opted out of a minor league deal with the Angels after three starts, was claimed off waivers by the Red Sox and will start against the Angels in Sunday's series finale. ... Boston 2B Dustin Pedroia, who missed the three games in Kansas City after being struck in the back with a pitch Sunday in Houston, was a late addition to the lineup, with Josh Rutledge nursing a sore hip. ... 3B Jhonny Peralta signed a minor league deal with the Red Sox and will report to Pawtucket. ... The Angels optioned 1B C.J. Cron to Triple-A and recalled RHP Eduardo Paredes, giving the club an eight-man bullpen. ... Red Sox RHP Carson Smith, coming back from Tommy John surgery, will rest this weekend and be re-evaluated on Monday. ... RHP J.C. Ramirez pitches for the Angels against LH David Price in Saturday night's game.
But once the game began, the night belonged to three of Big Papi's former teammates as Rick Porcello, Sandy Leon and Hanley Ramirez led the Boston Red Sox to a 9-4 victory over the Los Angeles Angels in the opener of a three-game series.
"It was, to me, vintage Rick Porcello," Boston manager John Farrell said after his reigning Cy Young Award winner went 6 1/3 innings for his first win his last six starts -- thus avoiding becoming the first 10-game loser in the majors. "The sink had returned to his two-seamer and it's a tribute to the work that he continues to do."
In other words, he kept the ball down, which allowed him to give up a run on five hits until one out in the seventh. Then, as his pitches rose, three straight extra base hits ended his night.
Leon (3-for-4) drove in a career-high four runs for the fourth time in his career, with a two-run homer and two-run double and Ramirez hit a two-run homer -- the 250th home run of his career.
"We got a good team," Leon said. "I think we were going to just get a win for David today. He deserved that."
Despite his long winless streak, Porcello has notched nine straight outings of at least six innings. He struck out eight and has 61 strikeouts and 10 walks in 68 2/3 innings over his last 11 starts.
"I felt good," Porcello said. "Obviously I would have liked to have finished the ballgame off better than I did, but I felt good from the get-go."
The Red Sox (40-32) scored three runs on one hit off Alex Meyer (3-4) in the first inning, Meyer wild-pitched home two of the runs after Xander Bogaerts' RBI double -- in a 38-pitch first inning.
"It's unacceptable," said Meyer, who had thrown six scoreless frames in his previous start. "You can't go out there and put two guys on before basically the game starts. (I) just put them on first and second (with walks).
"It's frustrating and there's not much more to say than that. The first inning was just not acceptable."
Ramirez hit his 10th homer of the season in the fourth, while Leon connected in the sixth and then doubled home the pair in the eighth.
Martin Maldonado, Cliff Pennington and Kole Calhoun had RBI doubles for the Angels (38-39, 12-12 without the injured Mike Trout) in the seventh.
Eduardo Paredes made his major league debut and Huston Street, activated Thursday, pitched for the first time this season.
With Red Sox greats Carl Yastrzemski, Pedro Martinez, Jim Rice and Wade Boggs among those on hand, Ortiz received his usual ovation from the Papi-loving crowd pre-game.
"Walking out there and seeing -- there wasn't an empty seat," he said later. "It made me feel like one of those important games that we have where the fans want to be there from the very beginning and show some love and support. It was pretty amazing."
Said Angels manager Mike Scioscia: "I know everyone in our organization has the utmost respect for David and what he did. A lot of his successes, unfortunately, in playoffs were at our expense, but I know everyone respects his career, respects him as a person. That was a terrific honor they did for him tonight and it was fun to watch."
"It was a special night," said Dustin Pedroia, who represented the 2017 team with pre-game words for Ortiz. "Obviously he means a lot to us and the city ... he played with a lot of guys and he affected them in a major way."
Pedroia was the final speaker before Ortiz, noting Ortiz was "family." Ortiz, dabbing tears, then said: "The little guy made me cry."
NOTES: Veteran RHP Doug Fister, who opted out of a minor league deal with the Angels after three starts, was claimed off waivers by the Red Sox and will start against the Angels in Sunday's series finale. ... Boston 2B Dustin Pedroia, who missed the three games in Kansas City after being struck in the back with a pitch Sunday in Houston, was a late addition to the lineup, with Josh Rutledge nursing a sore hip. ... 3B Jhonny Peralta signed a minor league deal with the Red Sox and will report to Pawtucket. ... The Angels optioned 1B C.J. Cron to Triple-A and recalled RHP Eduardo Paredes, giving the club an eight-man bullpen. ... Red Sox RHP Carson Smith, coming back from Tommy John surgery, will rest this weekend and be re-evaluated on Monday. ... RHP J.C. Ramirez pitches for the Angels against LH David Price in Saturday night's game.
Yankees top Rangers in battle of Japanese pitchers
(TSX / STATS) -- NEW YORK -- The New York Yankees were delighted to see Masahiro Tanaka go toe to toe with Yu Darvish.
An even better sight was watching Ronald Torreyes deliver the game-winning hit.
Tanaka pitched eight scoreless innings during his first major league appearance against Darvish and Torreyes singled with two outs in the bottom of the 10th inning, lifting the Yankees to a 2-1 win over the Texas Rangers.
Although Tanaka took a no-decision and is winless in his last eight starts since May 9, he looked more like the pitcher who tossed a three-hitter at Fenway Park while opposing Chris Sale on April 27 than the pitcher who began the game with a 6.34 ERA.
"Everything," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said of what was working for Tanaka.
Tanaka allowed three hits, threw first-pitch strikes to 25 of 27 hitters and retired 16 straight at one point from the third to the eighth.
Darvish was even better, though he exited after the seventh because of triceps tightness. Darvish said he began feeling it in the fourth inning but said he should be able to make his next start.
Before exiting, Darvish tied a season high with 10 strikeouts and allowed two hits. Two of his strikeouts were to slugger Aaron Judge, who struck out on a 72 mph curveball in the first and a 95 mph fastball in the seventh.
"They were two brilliant Japanese pitchers that had faced off before, been stars in the Japanese league and they're stars here," Texas manager Jeff Banister said.
It was the 15th game in major league history involving two pitchers from Japan. Seven of those games have involved the Yankees and three occurred against Darvish, who opposed Hiroki Kuroda in 2012 and 2013.
"We both pitched great," Darvish said through an interpreter. "So there may be something, but I was trying to focus on my pitching."
While it was the first time Darvish and Tanaka faced each other in the majors, it was the fifth overall matchup. They opposed each other four times in Japan, and in the last meeting on July 20, 2011, both pitchers went the distance.
"It was amazing," Yankees reliever Chasen Shreve said. "We were waiting for it and we know he has it, so it was great to see."
After Tanaka and Darvish were finished, the Yankees won for only the second time in 10 games when Torreyes lined a 98 mph fastball from Matt Bush (3-2) up the middle.
It was the first career game-ending hit for the infielder, who raised his arms, dropped his helmet and was lifted by a teammate after reaching first base.
"Super happy to able to get a hit in that inning," Torreyes said through an interpreter. "It's great."
Before Torreyes won it, the Rangers were two outs from getting a 1-0 victory when Elvis Andrus scored on a passed ball by Gary Sanchez while Adrian Beltre struck out against Aroldis Chapman.
Instead, Brett Gardner tied it by hitting a 2-1 fastball from Bush into the right-field seats. After Gardner's 14th home run, Aaron Judge chopped a single up the middle just out of shortstop Andrus' range.
The Yankees were unable to get the winning run as Bush struck out Matt Holliday but won the game after Shreve (2-1) worked out of a bases-loaded jam by getting Andrus on a popup after striking out Joey Gallo with two on.
The game was delayed one hour and 42 minutes, but it was worth the wait for the 39,602 fans at Yankee Stadium and fans watching in Japan 13 hours ahead of New York's time zone.
NOTES: Texas LHP Cole Hamels (oblique) threw a bullpen session before the game and could start Monday in Cleveland. ... Yankees 3B Chase Headley (back spasms) missed his second straight game and is unlikely to play Saturday. ... Texas LHP Martin Perez may miss his next scheduled start after tearing his right thumbnail and fracturing the top of the bone. ... New York CF Jacoby Ellsbury (concussion) took batting practice again and could appear in rehab games shortly.
An even better sight was watching Ronald Torreyes deliver the game-winning hit.
Tanaka pitched eight scoreless innings during his first major league appearance against Darvish and Torreyes singled with two outs in the bottom of the 10th inning, lifting the Yankees to a 2-1 win over the Texas Rangers.
Although Tanaka took a no-decision and is winless in his last eight starts since May 9, he looked more like the pitcher who tossed a three-hitter at Fenway Park while opposing Chris Sale on April 27 than the pitcher who began the game with a 6.34 ERA.
"Everything," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said of what was working for Tanaka.
Tanaka allowed three hits, threw first-pitch strikes to 25 of 27 hitters and retired 16 straight at one point from the third to the eighth.
Darvish was even better, though he exited after the seventh because of triceps tightness. Darvish said he began feeling it in the fourth inning but said he should be able to make his next start.
Before exiting, Darvish tied a season high with 10 strikeouts and allowed two hits. Two of his strikeouts were to slugger Aaron Judge, who struck out on a 72 mph curveball in the first and a 95 mph fastball in the seventh.
"They were two brilliant Japanese pitchers that had faced off before, been stars in the Japanese league and they're stars here," Texas manager Jeff Banister said.
It was the 15th game in major league history involving two pitchers from Japan. Seven of those games have involved the Yankees and three occurred against Darvish, who opposed Hiroki Kuroda in 2012 and 2013.
"We both pitched great," Darvish said through an interpreter. "So there may be something, but I was trying to focus on my pitching."
While it was the first time Darvish and Tanaka faced each other in the majors, it was the fifth overall matchup. They opposed each other four times in Japan, and in the last meeting on July 20, 2011, both pitchers went the distance.
"It was amazing," Yankees reliever Chasen Shreve said. "We were waiting for it and we know he has it, so it was great to see."
After Tanaka and Darvish were finished, the Yankees won for only the second time in 10 games when Torreyes lined a 98 mph fastball from Matt Bush (3-2) up the middle.
It was the first career game-ending hit for the infielder, who raised his arms, dropped his helmet and was lifted by a teammate after reaching first base.
"Super happy to able to get a hit in that inning," Torreyes said through an interpreter. "It's great."
Before Torreyes won it, the Rangers were two outs from getting a 1-0 victory when Elvis Andrus scored on a passed ball by Gary Sanchez while Adrian Beltre struck out against Aroldis Chapman.
Instead, Brett Gardner tied it by hitting a 2-1 fastball from Bush into the right-field seats. After Gardner's 14th home run, Aaron Judge chopped a single up the middle just out of shortstop Andrus' range.
The Yankees were unable to get the winning run as Bush struck out Matt Holliday but won the game after Shreve (2-1) worked out of a bases-loaded jam by getting Andrus on a popup after striking out Joey Gallo with two on.
The game was delayed one hour and 42 minutes, but it was worth the wait for the 39,602 fans at Yankee Stadium and fans watching in Japan 13 hours ahead of New York's time zone.
NOTES: Texas LHP Cole Hamels (oblique) threw a bullpen session before the game and could start Monday in Cleveland. ... Yankees 3B Chase Headley (back spasms) missed his second straight game and is unlikely to play Saturday. ... Texas LHP Martin Perez may miss his next scheduled start after tearing his right thumbnail and fracturing the top of the bone. ... New York CF Jacoby Ellsbury (concussion) took batting practice again and could appear in rehab games shortly.
Baseball Capsules (June 24, 2017)
NEW YORK (AP) — Ronald Torreyes hit a game-winning single with two outs in the 10th inning after midnight, and the New York Yankees edged the Texas Rangers 2-1 on a rainy Friday night for just their second win in 10 games.
Brett Gardner lined a tying home run with one out in the New York ninth off closer Matt Bush. After Chasen Shreve (2-1) escaped a bases-loaded jam in the top of the 10th, Torreyes kept the Yankees atop the AL East.
Yu Darvish and Masahiro Tanaka kept it scoreless into the late innings in the first major league meeting between the Japanese stars.
Gary Sanchez, whose passed ball gave Texas a 1-0 lead in the ninth, singled with one out in the 10th off Bush (2-3). A single by Didi Gregorius put runners at the corners and after Chris Carter struck out, Torreyes lined a single to center field.
MARLINS 2, CUBS 0
MIAMI (AP) — Giancarlo Stanton hit his 19th home run, Jose Urena scattered five hits over six innings and Miami topped defending champion Chicago.
Christian Yelich added a sacrifice fly for the Marlins, who won for the second time this week with no more than three hits. Stanton had two hits and Dee Gordon the other for Miami, which got only two hits in a 2-1 win over Washington on Wednesday.
Urena (6-2) won his fifth straight decision. A.J. Ramos pitched the ninth for his 11th save in 12 chances.
Javier Baez and Ian Happ each had two hits for the Cubs. John Lackey (5-8) gave up just three hits and two runs — one earned — in six innings, yet still fell to 1-5 in his last seven starts.
RED SOX 9, ANGELS 4
BOSTON (AP) — Hanley Ramirez and Sandy Leon hit two-run homers and the Red Sox won on a night they retired David Ortiz's number.
It was the 250th career home run for Ramirez, a good friend of Ortiz who was also born in the Dominican Republic. Leon finished with three hits and four RBIs.
The homers helped provide a nice cushion for Rick Porcello (4-9), who gave up four runs and struck out eight in 6 1/3 innings to earn the victory. It was the 13th straight start Porcello has gone at least six innings.
Alex Meyer (3-4) allowed five runs and five hits in 3 1/3 innings.
Los Angeles scored three runs in the seventh, but cooled off after Porcello exited.
RAYS 15, ORIOLES 5
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Evan Longoria and Shane Peterson drove in four runs apiece to back the pitching of Chris Archer and lead surging Tampa Bay past Baltimore.
Peterson and Derek Norris hit two-run homers off Ubaldo Jimenez (2-3) as Orioles pitchers allowed at least five runs for the 20th consecutive game, tying a major league record set by the 1924 Philadelphia Phillies.
Longoria had a two-run single during Tampa Bay's four-run first inning, and Peterson and Norris both went deep in the third to chase Jimenez, who yielded nine runs, seven hits and four walks in 2 1/3 innings.
Logan Morrison also had a big night for the Rays, hitting his 22nd homer and finishing with three RBIs.
Archer (6-4) wasn't especially sharp. But the right-hander didn't have to be with the Rays posting a season-high for runs.
PADRES 1, TIGERS 0
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Luis Perdomo pitched two-hit ball over six innings, Austin Hedges had an RBI double and San Diego handed Detroit its seventh straight loss.
Perdomo (2-4) outworked Detroit's Michael Fulmer and did not allow a hit until the fifth. Perdomo struck out six and walked five in his first scoreless outing of the season.
Hedges doubled to the right-center gap in the second to drive home Cory Spangenberg, who reached base three times against Fulmer (6-6). It was Hedges' first at-bat since a collision at home plate with the Cubs' Anthony Rizzo that sidelined the catcher for two games.
Brad Hand pitched a scoreless eighth and Brandon Maurer retired the side in the ninth for his 14th save.
TWINS 5, INDIANS 0
CLEVELAND (AP) — Adalberto Mejia combined with three relievers on a four-hitter, leading Minnesotain a matchup of the top two teams in the AL Central.
Mejia (2-3) held Cleveland to two hits in five innings, but had to work around five walks and two errors. The left-hander got out of bases-loaded jams in the second and fourth and stranded nine Indians runners on base.
Cleveland was coming off a 7-1 road trip, including a four-game sweep at Target Field last weekend that gave the Indians first place in the division. The Twins are now 1 1/2 back.
Tyler Duffey, Taylor Rogers and Trevor Hildenberger combined to pitch the final four innings.
Jorge Polanco's two-run homer highlighted Minnesota's four-run second off Trevor Bauer (6-6) and gave the Twins only their third win in 11 games against the Indians this season. Brian Dozier was 3 for 4 with two RBIs.
NATIONALS 6, REDS 5, 10 INNINGS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Bryce Harper singled in the winning run in the 10th inning, Brian Goodwin homered twice and Washington got a solid performance from its bullpen.
Anthony Rendon and Daniel Murphy also homered for the Nationals, who trailed 5-2 in the sixth before coming back to deal the Reds their 12th loss in 13 games.
Trea Turner singled off Raisel Iglesias (2-2) with one out in the 10th and took third on a single by Goodwin before Harper hit a liner that struck the right-field wall on one bounce.
Matt Albers (3-1) pitched the 10th to cap an impressive night for the Nationals' bullpen, a maligned group that blanked the Reds on one hit over the final five innings.
ATHLETICS 3, WHITE SOX 0
CHICAGO (AP) — Khris Davis and Matt Joyce homered, Jharel Cotton pitched three-hit ball into the sixth inning before leaving with a blister on his right thumb and Oakland beat Chicago.
Davis hit a two-run homer in the first. Joyce connected leading off the fifth against Mike Pelfrey (3-6) and the Athletics picked up the win coming off four-game sweep by Houston.
Cotton (5-7) and four relievers combined on Oakland's second shutout of the season.
Cotton gave up a leadoff single to Kevan Smith and left after he came up shaking his hand following the first pitch to Adam Engel.
Liam Hendriks, Ryan Madson and Sean Doolittle each worked a scoreless inning before Santiago Casilla ran into trouble in the ninth. He allowed singles to Melky Cabrera and Jose Abreu before getting out of the jam, picking up his 12th save.
BRAVES 5, BREWERS 4
ATLANTA (AP) — Mike Foltynewicz won his fourth straight decision at home, shortstop Dansby Swanson made a pair of outstanding defensive plays in the ninth inning and Atlanta won for the sixth time in seven games.
Foltynewicz (5-5) gave up one run, four hits and three walks in five innings with nine strikeouts, improving to 4-0 with a 2.17 ERA in his last five starts at SunTrust Park.
Brandon Phillips homered and drove in two runs, and Arodys Vizcaino earned his first save since last June 26.
Eric Thames doubled leading off the ninth, and Domingo Santana hit a two-hopper to the second-base side of Swanson, who spun and threw out Thames at third. Travis Shaw flied out to the left-field warning track as Santana advanced, and Manny Pina lined out to Swanson, who made a diving backhand catch in the shortstop hole, for the final out.
PIRATES 4, CARDINALS 3
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Josh Bell and John Jaso homered as Pittsburgh snapped a seven-game skid in Busch Stadium.
Jaso, who entered as part of a double switch in the eighth inning, drove a 3-2 pitch from Seung Hwan Oh (1-4) over the wall in right-center to break a 3-3 tie in the ninth.
Jameson Taillon threw 104 pitches in six innings, both highs since coming back from testicular cancer surgery on June 12. Only one of the four hits the Pirates righty allowed left the infield.
Felipe Rivero (3-1) pitched the Pirates out of a two-on, one-out jam in the eighth. Rivero worked around a ninth inning walk to secure the win.
ROYALS 5, BLUE JAYS 4
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Whit Merrifield hit a two-run, two-out double that capped a four-run rally in the ninth inning, and Kansas City reached .500 for the first time since April.
With their 10th win in 12 games, the Royals improved to 36-36. They were 6-6 before play on April 20, then went on a nine-game losing streak that night and dropped as low as 10-20, seven games out of first place. They trail AL Central-leading Cleveland by three games.
Toronto took a 2-1 lead into the ninth and extended it when Josh Donaldson and Justin Smoak hit RBI singles off Joakim Soria (4-2).
Salvador Perez doubled with one out in the bottom half against Ryan Tepera, took third on a wild pitch, and Brandon Moss walked with two outs.
Alcides Escobar greeted Aaron Loup (2-1) with an RBI single, and Alex Gordon hit a run-scoring single on the first pitch from Jason Grilli. Ahead 3-1 in the count, Merrifield doubled on a hop to the left-field wall, and Gordon scored easily from first, crossing the plate with a headfirst slide.
PHILLIES 6, DIAMONDBACKS 1
PHOENIX (AP) — Mark Leiter Jr. held the Arizona Diamondbacks to three hits over six scoreless innings, and Maikel Franco and Tommy Joseph both homered to lead Philadelphia.
Leiter (1-0) struck out five with a walk for his first major league win in his first major league start after 12 relief appearances. He bested Diamondbacks starter Patrick Corbin (6-7), who held the Phillies to a run and eight hits for 6 2/3 innings.
Philadelphia won its second straight after five straight losses, three from being swept in a series with Arizona at home last week.
The Diamondbacks had scored 26 runs in their previous two games, both wins, and had won nine of their previous 10 games before Friday. They didn't score until Daniel Descalso's one-out triple drove in Rey Fuentes from first base in the eighth inning.
MARINERS 13, ASTROS 3
SEATTLE (AP) — Felix Hernandez pitched six solid innings in his first start in nearly two months and was backed by home runs from Mike Zunino, Ben Gamel and Kyle Seager as Seattle beat Houston.
A day after climbing over .500 for the first time this season, the Mariners continued their June surge with their sixth straight win thanks to an offense that knocked out Houston starter Joe Musgrove (4-7) early. Jarrod Dyson's RBI double in the second got Seattle started, but it was a six-run third inning that blew the game open.
Danny Valencia's two-run single dribbled past the diving attempt of Alex Bregman and two batters later Zunino hit a three-run shot for his 10th home run of the season.
Hernandez (3-2), pitching for the first time since April 25, gave up a pair of solo home runs to Bregman and Jose Altuve, but walked just one batter and pitched out of the one major jam he faced.
METS 11, GIANTS 4
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Yoenis Cespedes had three hits including a two-run homer and Lucas Duda had three hits including a solo blast to help the Mets snap a four-game losing streak.
Along with Cespedes and Duda, Asdrubal Cabrera, Wilmer Flores and Michael Conforto all had three hits for New York, which had lost seven of eight.
The Giants have lost 10 of their last 11 games, 12 of their last 14 and 19 of their last 24.
After being held to five runs over their last three games, the Mets broke out their hitting slump, combining for 20 hits. All but one Mets starter (Jose Reyes) had at least one hit and all but two (Reyes and Cabrera) drove in at least one run.
Seth Lugo (2-1) won for the third time in his last four starts. He gave up four runs in 5 2/3 innings and was 1 for 2 with one RBI.
Ty Blach (4-5) gave up seven runs in three innings.
DODGERS 6, ROCKIES 1
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Yasiel Puig homered and left-hander Alex Wood kept his record perfect as the streaking Dodgers defeated the NL West rival Rockies for their eighth consecutive victory.
The Dodgers have won 14 of their last 15 games and have scored at least six runs in seven consecutive games.
Wood (8-0) allowed one run in six innings. He gave up only three hits and walked two, retiring his last 10 batters.
The Dodgers have homered in 15 consecutive games, tied for fourth-longest streak in club history. The last time they managed it was in 1977. Their record is 24 consecutive games with a home run.
Rookie left-hander Kyle Freeman (8-4) allowed five runs and a career-high 10 hits and three walks in six innings.
Brett Gardner lined a tying home run with one out in the New York ninth off closer Matt Bush. After Chasen Shreve (2-1) escaped a bases-loaded jam in the top of the 10th, Torreyes kept the Yankees atop the AL East.
Yu Darvish and Masahiro Tanaka kept it scoreless into the late innings in the first major league meeting between the Japanese stars.
Gary Sanchez, whose passed ball gave Texas a 1-0 lead in the ninth, singled with one out in the 10th off Bush (2-3). A single by Didi Gregorius put runners at the corners and after Chris Carter struck out, Torreyes lined a single to center field.
MARLINS 2, CUBS 0
MIAMI (AP) — Giancarlo Stanton hit his 19th home run, Jose Urena scattered five hits over six innings and Miami topped defending champion Chicago.
Christian Yelich added a sacrifice fly for the Marlins, who won for the second time this week with no more than three hits. Stanton had two hits and Dee Gordon the other for Miami, which got only two hits in a 2-1 win over Washington on Wednesday.
Urena (6-2) won his fifth straight decision. A.J. Ramos pitched the ninth for his 11th save in 12 chances.
Javier Baez and Ian Happ each had two hits for the Cubs. John Lackey (5-8) gave up just three hits and two runs — one earned — in six innings, yet still fell to 1-5 in his last seven starts.
RED SOX 9, ANGELS 4
BOSTON (AP) — Hanley Ramirez and Sandy Leon hit two-run homers and the Red Sox won on a night they retired David Ortiz's number.
It was the 250th career home run for Ramirez, a good friend of Ortiz who was also born in the Dominican Republic. Leon finished with three hits and four RBIs.
The homers helped provide a nice cushion for Rick Porcello (4-9), who gave up four runs and struck out eight in 6 1/3 innings to earn the victory. It was the 13th straight start Porcello has gone at least six innings.
Alex Meyer (3-4) allowed five runs and five hits in 3 1/3 innings.
Los Angeles scored three runs in the seventh, but cooled off after Porcello exited.
RAYS 15, ORIOLES 5
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Evan Longoria and Shane Peterson drove in four runs apiece to back the pitching of Chris Archer and lead surging Tampa Bay past Baltimore.
Peterson and Derek Norris hit two-run homers off Ubaldo Jimenez (2-3) as Orioles pitchers allowed at least five runs for the 20th consecutive game, tying a major league record set by the 1924 Philadelphia Phillies.
Longoria had a two-run single during Tampa Bay's four-run first inning, and Peterson and Norris both went deep in the third to chase Jimenez, who yielded nine runs, seven hits and four walks in 2 1/3 innings.
Logan Morrison also had a big night for the Rays, hitting his 22nd homer and finishing with three RBIs.
Archer (6-4) wasn't especially sharp. But the right-hander didn't have to be with the Rays posting a season-high for runs.
PADRES 1, TIGERS 0
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Luis Perdomo pitched two-hit ball over six innings, Austin Hedges had an RBI double and San Diego handed Detroit its seventh straight loss.
Perdomo (2-4) outworked Detroit's Michael Fulmer and did not allow a hit until the fifth. Perdomo struck out six and walked five in his first scoreless outing of the season.
Hedges doubled to the right-center gap in the second to drive home Cory Spangenberg, who reached base three times against Fulmer (6-6). It was Hedges' first at-bat since a collision at home plate with the Cubs' Anthony Rizzo that sidelined the catcher for two games.
Brad Hand pitched a scoreless eighth and Brandon Maurer retired the side in the ninth for his 14th save.
TWINS 5, INDIANS 0
CLEVELAND (AP) — Adalberto Mejia combined with three relievers on a four-hitter, leading Minnesotain a matchup of the top two teams in the AL Central.
Mejia (2-3) held Cleveland to two hits in five innings, but had to work around five walks and two errors. The left-hander got out of bases-loaded jams in the second and fourth and stranded nine Indians runners on base.
Cleveland was coming off a 7-1 road trip, including a four-game sweep at Target Field last weekend that gave the Indians first place in the division. The Twins are now 1 1/2 back.
Tyler Duffey, Taylor Rogers and Trevor Hildenberger combined to pitch the final four innings.
Jorge Polanco's two-run homer highlighted Minnesota's four-run second off Trevor Bauer (6-6) and gave the Twins only their third win in 11 games against the Indians this season. Brian Dozier was 3 for 4 with two RBIs.
NATIONALS 6, REDS 5, 10 INNINGS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Bryce Harper singled in the winning run in the 10th inning, Brian Goodwin homered twice and Washington got a solid performance from its bullpen.
Anthony Rendon and Daniel Murphy also homered for the Nationals, who trailed 5-2 in the sixth before coming back to deal the Reds their 12th loss in 13 games.
Trea Turner singled off Raisel Iglesias (2-2) with one out in the 10th and took third on a single by Goodwin before Harper hit a liner that struck the right-field wall on one bounce.
Matt Albers (3-1) pitched the 10th to cap an impressive night for the Nationals' bullpen, a maligned group that blanked the Reds on one hit over the final five innings.
ATHLETICS 3, WHITE SOX 0
CHICAGO (AP) — Khris Davis and Matt Joyce homered, Jharel Cotton pitched three-hit ball into the sixth inning before leaving with a blister on his right thumb and Oakland beat Chicago.
Davis hit a two-run homer in the first. Joyce connected leading off the fifth against Mike Pelfrey (3-6) and the Athletics picked up the win coming off four-game sweep by Houston.
Cotton (5-7) and four relievers combined on Oakland's second shutout of the season.
Cotton gave up a leadoff single to Kevan Smith and left after he came up shaking his hand following the first pitch to Adam Engel.
Liam Hendriks, Ryan Madson and Sean Doolittle each worked a scoreless inning before Santiago Casilla ran into trouble in the ninth. He allowed singles to Melky Cabrera and Jose Abreu before getting out of the jam, picking up his 12th save.
BRAVES 5, BREWERS 4
ATLANTA (AP) — Mike Foltynewicz won his fourth straight decision at home, shortstop Dansby Swanson made a pair of outstanding defensive plays in the ninth inning and Atlanta won for the sixth time in seven games.
Foltynewicz (5-5) gave up one run, four hits and three walks in five innings with nine strikeouts, improving to 4-0 with a 2.17 ERA in his last five starts at SunTrust Park.
Brandon Phillips homered and drove in two runs, and Arodys Vizcaino earned his first save since last June 26.
Eric Thames doubled leading off the ninth, and Domingo Santana hit a two-hopper to the second-base side of Swanson, who spun and threw out Thames at third. Travis Shaw flied out to the left-field warning track as Santana advanced, and Manny Pina lined out to Swanson, who made a diving backhand catch in the shortstop hole, for the final out.
PIRATES 4, CARDINALS 3
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Josh Bell and John Jaso homered as Pittsburgh snapped a seven-game skid in Busch Stadium.
Jaso, who entered as part of a double switch in the eighth inning, drove a 3-2 pitch from Seung Hwan Oh (1-4) over the wall in right-center to break a 3-3 tie in the ninth.
Jameson Taillon threw 104 pitches in six innings, both highs since coming back from testicular cancer surgery on June 12. Only one of the four hits the Pirates righty allowed left the infield.
Felipe Rivero (3-1) pitched the Pirates out of a two-on, one-out jam in the eighth. Rivero worked around a ninth inning walk to secure the win.
ROYALS 5, BLUE JAYS 4
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Whit Merrifield hit a two-run, two-out double that capped a four-run rally in the ninth inning, and Kansas City reached .500 for the first time since April.
With their 10th win in 12 games, the Royals improved to 36-36. They were 6-6 before play on April 20, then went on a nine-game losing streak that night and dropped as low as 10-20, seven games out of first place. They trail AL Central-leading Cleveland by three games.
Toronto took a 2-1 lead into the ninth and extended it when Josh Donaldson and Justin Smoak hit RBI singles off Joakim Soria (4-2).
Salvador Perez doubled with one out in the bottom half against Ryan Tepera, took third on a wild pitch, and Brandon Moss walked with two outs.
Alcides Escobar greeted Aaron Loup (2-1) with an RBI single, and Alex Gordon hit a run-scoring single on the first pitch from Jason Grilli. Ahead 3-1 in the count, Merrifield doubled on a hop to the left-field wall, and Gordon scored easily from first, crossing the plate with a headfirst slide.
PHILLIES 6, DIAMONDBACKS 1
PHOENIX (AP) — Mark Leiter Jr. held the Arizona Diamondbacks to three hits over six scoreless innings, and Maikel Franco and Tommy Joseph both homered to lead Philadelphia.
Leiter (1-0) struck out five with a walk for his first major league win in his first major league start after 12 relief appearances. He bested Diamondbacks starter Patrick Corbin (6-7), who held the Phillies to a run and eight hits for 6 2/3 innings.
Philadelphia won its second straight after five straight losses, three from being swept in a series with Arizona at home last week.
The Diamondbacks had scored 26 runs in their previous two games, both wins, and had won nine of their previous 10 games before Friday. They didn't score until Daniel Descalso's one-out triple drove in Rey Fuentes from first base in the eighth inning.
MARINERS 13, ASTROS 3
SEATTLE (AP) — Felix Hernandez pitched six solid innings in his first start in nearly two months and was backed by home runs from Mike Zunino, Ben Gamel and Kyle Seager as Seattle beat Houston.
A day after climbing over .500 for the first time this season, the Mariners continued their June surge with their sixth straight win thanks to an offense that knocked out Houston starter Joe Musgrove (4-7) early. Jarrod Dyson's RBI double in the second got Seattle started, but it was a six-run third inning that blew the game open.
Danny Valencia's two-run single dribbled past the diving attempt of Alex Bregman and two batters later Zunino hit a three-run shot for his 10th home run of the season.
Hernandez (3-2), pitching for the first time since April 25, gave up a pair of solo home runs to Bregman and Jose Altuve, but walked just one batter and pitched out of the one major jam he faced.
METS 11, GIANTS 4
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Yoenis Cespedes had three hits including a two-run homer and Lucas Duda had three hits including a solo blast to help the Mets snap a four-game losing streak.
Along with Cespedes and Duda, Asdrubal Cabrera, Wilmer Flores and Michael Conforto all had three hits for New York, which had lost seven of eight.
The Giants have lost 10 of their last 11 games, 12 of their last 14 and 19 of their last 24.
After being held to five runs over their last three games, the Mets broke out their hitting slump, combining for 20 hits. All but one Mets starter (Jose Reyes) had at least one hit and all but two (Reyes and Cabrera) drove in at least one run.
Seth Lugo (2-1) won for the third time in his last four starts. He gave up four runs in 5 2/3 innings and was 1 for 2 with one RBI.
Ty Blach (4-5) gave up seven runs in three innings.
DODGERS 6, ROCKIES 1
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Yasiel Puig homered and left-hander Alex Wood kept his record perfect as the streaking Dodgers defeated the NL West rival Rockies for their eighth consecutive victory.
The Dodgers have won 14 of their last 15 games and have scored at least six runs in seven consecutive games.
Wood (8-0) allowed one run in six innings. He gave up only three hits and walked two, retiring his last 10 batters.
The Dodgers have homered in 15 consecutive games, tied for fourth-longest streak in club history. The last time they managed it was in 1977. Their record is 24 consecutive games with a home run.
Rookie left-hander Kyle Freeman (8-4) allowed five runs and a career-high 10 hits and three walks in six innings.
Thursday, June 22, 2017
LEADING OFF: NL West showdown at Coors, M's Moore debuts
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WEST WINGS
The high-flying Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies wrap up their three-game series at Coors Field with a matchup of talented right-handers. Antonio Senzatela, a 22-year-old rookie, is 9-2 with a 4.10 ERA for the Rockies, while Zack Godley is 2-1 with a 2.34 ERA. The NL West rivals have two of the best four records in the majors.
WELCOME
Seattle pitching prospect Andrew Moore is set to make his major league debut, facing Miguel Cabrera and the Tigers at Safeco Field. The 23-year-old righty was called up this week from Triple-A Tacoma, where he was 3-1 with a 3.19 ERA. A second-round draft pick from Oregon State, Moore began this year at Double-A Arkansas.
LOOSENING UP
Atlanta star first baseman Freddie Freeman says he's "100 percent" ready to try playing third base, a move that would let the Braves keep Matt Adams' bat in the lineup. Freeman has been out since May 17 with a broken left wrist and hopes to return July 14. He took grounders at third base before batting practice Wednesday and made throws across the diamond. Adams was acquired from St. Louis after Freeman got hurt and has provided pop, but is limited defensively beyond first base.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Marlins Spanish-language announcer Rafael "Felo" Ramirez is back in Miami following a lengthy hospital stay in Philadelphia after he fell stepping off the team bus. Ramirez, who has called games since the team's inaugural 1993 season, turns 94.
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